Process of manufacturing nitric acid and other nitrogen compounds from atmospheric air



- nitric acid in one operation in a r or NITRIC ACID ANT; EITZIL) CHURCHILL AND FEEL'GM ATMOSEHEEIG All? iiiildil'r specincation.

"ihe ob ect or zn inven n is to produce titics and of purity and uu h larger o r with iess expense th processes new in u In the use of l of advantage to pass invention it will be air over or through dry potassium hydroxic in o der to absorb the carbon cl Lu c in the air in small qua s' In order t carry my invention into effect it is of much importance that the purified air, which contains generallyabout 58 per cent, of nitrogen and aboui cent. of oxygen, be so coniposei'l that it contains all the ingredients required to form nitric acid, according to the equation l+) -1H:l-iil@, which requires the addition of pure oxygen in suliicient quantities to supply three equivalents of the same to ea'e'ry and each equivalent of nitrogen present. The amount or hydrogen is carefully calculated so that the amount of the same, in its sul sequent combustion, with an adequate amount of oxygen, will raise the temperature of the entire gas-mixture to such a degree of heat that the combination of the nitrogen and oxygen will take p ace with alacrity. These two elements begin to combine in a temperature above 250 C. but will combine more rapidly and more thoroughly at ternperature near 506 C. while in temperatures of 1000" and over the same combinations are again dissociated.

From this it is apparent that the amount of hydrogen to be added is not only very important but the controlling factor in this process in case the hydrogen, thus required does not produce the su rent amount of moisture then the insufiiciency is supplied by steam or It is wsil f own thct one e sen in combustion in of hydron sets free Specification of Letters Patent.

be one in the Paton ted Aug, 1W", 1920.

Serial its. 198,168.

cl) calories, from which it is comparaly easy to caiculate the amount of hydro- 65 gen 1' pin-ed for effective production of nitric acid.

composed as above her separate ingremixed mass, into a. conduit, 60 i s suincient length to permit of a 1 t difiusion the different -gases berore arriving at the resistance units near 1 i e other end of said conduit, which may be sposcd in a transverse position and in uch numbers above each other, or rows arrangep in position, as to insure an in e of the gas-mix;- ture with said resistance unis, which are maintained in a sL-ate of iucandescence, and in this state ignite the hydrogen in said gas-mixture int combustion with an adequate amount of oxygen and cause the niand oxygen to combine with each other, in the presence the moisture, or water a coniniinuted form, produced by the burning hydrogen, forming nitrogen ()IiiilS, which in turn absoio the moisture, and thus troxn 8 to 90 per cent. of the entire gas-mixture is converted into nitric acid, provided the required ingredients were present in their proper quantities. Moreover only pure nitric acid can under such conditions be produced.

The resistance units should be made of platinum, or any' other material that has sufiicient natural resistance to become incandescent when an electric current passes over it. The function of these resistance units is to ignite the hydrogen into combustion with an adequate amount of oxygen, and for this purpose they are shunted into an electric circuit and made and maintained in a state of incandescence for any length of time required for that purpose.

T he nitric acid fumes as they come from the resistance units are pressed forward into either condensing tubes or absorbing liquids, as may be desired. However, since the condensation and absorption of the niinto nitrates is here required, and therefore it is merely stated that in case it is desired to produce a commercial nitric acid, 2'. e. a nitric acid that contains less than 98 per cent.-of HNO, the required moisture may be added to the gas-mixture or the nitric acid,

in the form of pure water to bring it to any strength desired.

By this invention commercial nitric acid may be made by using a spray of pure water repeatedly until the water has absorbed all the nitric acid of which it is capable.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

l, The process of forming oxids of nitrogen, which comprises passing a mixture containing nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen over platinum, heated to any desired degree of incandescence by an electric current.

2. The process of forming oxids of nitrogen which comprises passing a mixture containing nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen over electrical resistance units heated to incandescence.

3. The process of forming acid which comprises passing a mixture containing nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen over electrical resistance units heated to incandescence to form oxid of nitrogen, and bringing said mixture into intimate contact with water in a comminuted form, so as to quickly cause the oxids to combine with the water to form an acid.

4. The process of forming acid which comprises passing a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen in intimate contact over resistance units heated to incandescence by an electric current.

5. The process of forming acid which com' v prises passing a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen in contact with resistance units, made of platinum, heated to any desired degree of temperature by an, electric current.

6. The process of forming acid, which comprises passing a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and moisture, the oxygen and hydrogen being in such proportions as to produce the required temperature, over and through a sufiicient number of vertical rows of resistance units made of platinum, heating them to incandescence by an electric current, thereby producing the combustion of the gas mixture resulting in the production of nitrogen oxids.

7. The process of forming nitric acidwhich comprises the mixing of atmospheric air with oxygen, moisture, and hydrogen, which by its combustion with an equivalent amount of oxygen produces a temperature necessary to produce the combustion of nitrogen and the remaining oxygen into nitro gen oxids and finally into ,nitric acid, .substantially as described. I

8. The process of forming nitric acid which comprises the ignition and combustion of hydrogen in a mixture of 'atmospheric air, oxygen and moisture, with an equivalent amount of oxygen within said mixture, thus creating and distributing the required heat throughout the entire gasmixture, and producing by the created heat the formation of nitric acid, substantially as described.

S), The process of forming nitric acid by passing a mixture of atmospheric air, oxygen, hydrogen and moisture over and between a multiple of resistance units, heated to iiicandgscence by an electric current, igniting the hydrogen to combustion with an equivalent amount of oxygen, thus creating and distributing the necessary temperatures tor the combustion of the nitrogen and oxygen into nitrogen oxids, their reaction with the moisture, and conversion into nitric acid, substantially as describr 1.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN F. SANDERS. ll itnesses CnAs. F. HOPKINS, Amen BLACK. 

